Siouxper Series Take Two

There are few games I look forward to more than the ones played against North Dakota. When the schedule came out, of course I looked forward to games like BC and the Beanpot, but right behind that was this weekend's series. The Sioux are easily my second favorite team and I follow the team pretty close because I get most of their games on TV. Last year, I was unable to get out to Grand Forks and when I saw on the broadcast last November that UND was coming out here, I got pretty excited. Anyway, on to the game...

Photo by Matt Dresens

Scouting The Sioux
ND comes into this weekend with a 4-5-1 record. They started off the year hot, as NoDak went 3-1-1 in their first five games. In those five games, they came back to down Vermont 5-3 before losing the next night. The Sioux's most impressive win of the year comes at Miami, a 4-2 decision in Oxford, Ohio. After getting swept by St. Cloud at home, North Dakota split their next two series against Nebraska-Omaha and Minnesota-Duluth.

Rocco Grimaldi, who scored the game winning goal in last year's World Junior Championship Game vs Sweden is the Fighting Sioux's leading scorer with 10 points. The Rossmoor, California native has three goals and 7 assists in 10 games played. Fellow sophomore Drake Caggiula is second with a 4-4-8 line in 10 games. The teams's best defenseman is easily Dillon Simpson. The senior has a goal and 5 assists through 10 games.

In goal, Bruins prospect Zane Gothberg and former Alabama Huntsville tendie Clarke Saunders have split time. Gothberg has a 2-5-1 record in 8 appearances with a .906 save percentage and a 2.86 goals against average. Saunders on the other hand has posted a 2-0-0 record in 5 appearances. He is the holder of a .907sv% and a 3.62 GAA in 199 minutes played.

Beat up
According to an article in today's  Grand Forks Herald, North Dakota could be down to just 11 forwards this weekend.

"Mark MacMillan, Brendan O’Donnell, Colten St. Clair and Derek Rodwell have all been ruled out for UND’s nonconference series at Boston University, leaving the team with 11 available forwards."

More from the article:

In order to get more depth up front, the team has moved junior defenseman Andrew Panzarella and freshman defenseman Gage Ausmus to wing this week. At least one of them will play there Friday night.
“(They’ve) played right wing and left wing all week in practice and done a great job,” UND coach Dave Hakstol said. “I would expect that (they will stay there this weekend). I wouldn’t guess that might be happening. I would expect that.” 

History
UND and BU have met in some pretty meaningful games over the years, none bigger than the 1997 NCAA National Championship Game. After leading 2-0, BU watched a high powered (then accurately named) Sioux squad comeback and claim their 6th title 6-4. In 1990, UND had to travel to Walter Brown Arena and face the Terriers in a best two out of three series in the first round of the NCAA tournament. BU swept the visiting Sioux in two games by scores of 5-3 and 5-0. BU went all the way to the frozen four that year, losing to Colgate 3-2 in the semis. The two met again in the regionals in 2005. North Dakota blanked BU 4-0 at the DCU Center in Worcester. That year, ND lost the National Championship game 4-1 to Denver.

ND has come to Agganis once before. That was in 2009 as part of the Icebreaker Invitational. BU made quick work of the Sioux in round one 5-1 and then beat Michigan State in the tournament championship game 2-1 the next night. Last year, BU and ND split a series at the Ralph with both teams picking up 4-2 wins.